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Last updated: Thursday, January 8, 2009

The 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show is in full swing, and manufacturers are unveiling their latest innovations despite the down economy. What’s more, consumer-electronics makers are expecting to sell plenty of them. Indeed, in what marks refreshing news amid doom-and-gloom headlines, the industry forecast looks healthy. Specifically, the consumer-electronics industry is projected to generate $171 billion in U.S. shipment revenues in 2009. That’s according to the Consumer Electronics Association’s (CEA) semiannual industry forecast. Gary Shapiro, CEA president and CEO, announced the forecast Thursday in his opening remarks at CES. “The CE industry is resilient but not immune from the business cycle. In a tough economy, our products offer high value for entertainment and an entry point for entrepreneurs creating new businesses,” Shapiro said. “Innovation will kick-start the economy. The 2009 International CES is a cause for optimism with some 20,000 new products and 300 new exhibitors.” Digital TVs Keep Selling The CEA isn’t just prophesying positive numbers to put a smile on the face of its members. The industry’s statistics prove it held its own last year, despite credit crunches, slowdowns and recessions. In fact, the CEA’s estimate of final shipment revenues for 2008 showed the industry reached a new high of $172 billion, an increase of 5.4 percent over 2007. In 2009, overall, CEA projects that domestic-shipment revenues will essentially remain flat at $171 billion, a decrease of 0.6 percent over 2008. But “flat” is welcome news in an economy in which many other industries are seeing major losses. Digital-TV displays are expected to be the primary driver in the consumer-electronics sector. Digital TVs make up 15 percent of total industry shipment dollars. Digital TVs, of course, are getting a boost from the nation’s transition to digital broadcasting. Digital-TV sales are expected to approach 35 million in 2009, an increase of nearly six percent over…

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CEA Predicts Healthy Gadget Market in 2009

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